Customer Reviews
Beautifully dreamlike 
2008-07-22
This version of the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale must be the most visually rich & gorgeous one yet! Every frame is drenched in color, reminiscent of hand-tinted photographs; and the slightly herky-jerky motion is like watching a turn-of-the-century nickelodeon. It's a fascinating use of CGI, one that utilizes cutting-edge techniques to create a deliberately old-fashioned look ... and it's a stylistic success. The acting is somewhat stylized as well, which serves the overall tone & brings the viewer into a perfectly realized world. This isn't the place to look for subtle characterization, or nuanced psychological portraits -- these are fairy tale characters, embodiments of mythic types, and they act as such.
But I don't want it to sound too high-falutin'. While the thoughtful viewer can certainly find more below the surface, it's primarily an entertainment, and a dazzling one to boot! It can be enjoyed as pure eye candy, a luscious confection; it has all the thrills & surprises of any good fairy tale; and it teaches something in its own quiet way. You really can't ask for more than that!
Accompanied by a lovely, haunting score, this short film will be a welcome addition to your home library. Most happily recommended!
Good Version, Great Family Movie 2007-11-30
This movie has lovely cinematography, mixing live action with animation. I love this version of the classic fairy tale. Both the nature imagery and the allegory are well done. The shooting stars, ice storms, and talking flowers are all wonderful. Good versus evil is nicely presented as balance. The poetry of the tale is beautiful, done in lyrical way in this venue. The music is lovely as well.
For those unfamiliar with this classic, the story contains fairy tales within fairy tales, a myriad of magical objects and beings, and the presence of eternity (and the everlasting) as a prominent character. Sacrifice and love are key ingredients in this tale, as is the power of the heart. The storms and season imagery (to represent both time passage and struggle) are used as obstacles in Gerda's quest, and are nicely done.
Talents such as Patrick Stewart and Juliet Stevenson really add another dimension to this. The film is also multicultural. It has what appears to be Bavarian architecture, but Gerda encounters a variety of peoples on her quest such as what looks like Native American and Inuit characters.
Certain parts of the film with louder music and Gerda fighting the both the storm and the Snow Queen were a little intense for my four-yr-old son, so it was good we were watching this together. I think he was mainly scared that a mean queen would capture a little boy. However, since he loves fairy tales, this didn't bother him for long, especially since it has a happy ending. This is very well done, and we plan to watch it again.
Beautiful book version of The Snow Queen:
The Snow Queen
A new fairy tale series that we really like:
Thistle and the Shell of Laughter (The Fairy Chronicles)
Nice collectible:
Fairy Miniature Tea Set
Visually Appealing 
2007-11-04
This was indeed a visually engaging moving set of pictures, as described by others. It was a bit short, so it was not as satisfying as it could be. I liked the Hallmark version better, as it was also visually gorgeous, but development of plot and characters were able to unfold with more depth in its longer format (4 hours). But, sometimes movies are enjoyable on a purely visual or novelty level, and I put this one in either of those categories.
Visually Appealing 2007-11-02
This was indeed a visually engaging moving set of pictures, as described by others. It was a bit short, so it was not as satisfying as it could be. I liked the Hallmark version better, as it was also visually gorgeous, but development of plot and characters were able to unfold with more depth in its longer format (4 hours). But, sometimes movies are enjoyable on a purely visual or novelty level, and I put this one in either of those categories.
Beautiful Imagery, but Incredibly Hokey! 
2007-06-27
The only thing good about this movie is how beautiful it LOOKS! It looks like a moving painting, but it is a disapointment with the acting! Fairy tales, at their best, are able to draw in both the young and the old, but this production failed to do that. I could see how childhood innocence was apart of the spirit of the movie, but there was something sooooooo cheesy about the acting, that I'm afraid only preschoolers would find no fault with this film!
A beautiful painting in motion 2007-03-08
Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale comes to life in an enchanting mix of music and song live drama and stunning animation. When Gerda and her mother take in the penniless beggar boy Kay powerful forces come into play that will take both children on a magical journey and test their friendship to the extreme. One cold winter night a splinter of ice pierces Kay's eye turning his heart cold and making him angry and unhappy. He is enchanted by the Snow Queen and taken to her palace in the frozen North. Gerda decides that she must do whatever she can to find her friend. Faith love and courage lead Gerda on a perilous quest through many strange lands. Will the little girl in the red velvet cloak be able to match the power of the Snow Queen?Running Time: 56 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 794051278425 Manufacturer No: E2784
With a Twist 2007-02-08
I truly liked it! It was a little different from other I have seen! Icame to ejoy the way it was presented and it had a little twist of difference when she looking for the boy she befriended. Many differnt travels than otheers I seen. It is a Keeper!
GORGEOUS ANIMATED FILM 2007-02-06
Imagine all your Victorian styled Christmas cards coming to life and you'll have some idea about the sumptuous animation of this BBC tv movie. Although only a little under an hour long, the movie floats along ethereally with brilliant animation, some Enya-like music (voiced by Gerda, Sydney White) and a fairyland paperweight comes to life. The film almost has a silent movie feel to it, with jerky motions and off-beat colorizations, but it's delightfully entertaning and different.
Enchanting and Ethereal 2006-11-29
Finally a computer generated piece of illustrative fiction that is haunting and beautiful and very much like paintings come to life. The dreamlike imagery and gorgeous soundtrack make for a must have annual Christmas show for adults and children. Truly stunning!
Absolutely beautiful! 2006-11-22
I caught this wonderful production when it was on television here in Canada last year. At the time, I believe it was only available on DVD in the UK, so to see that it will be released in North America is great!
This is a beautifully produced story for children and adults alike. Much use was made of computer imaging and, as a result, the live-action characters look like they are walking through a world of paintings. The beautiful, haunting soundtrack of songs that complement the scenes in the movie only adds to the artistic quality of the work.
I highly recommend it.
